Cervical brace



Feb. 28, 1956 R.' H. HALE CERVICAL BRACE Filed April 15, 1953 INVENTOR.774/7141? f/z/e.

BY hm United States Patent CERVICAL BRACE Randall H. Hale, Los Angeles,Calif.

Application April 13, 1953, Serial No. 348,421

1 Claim. (Cl. 128-87) This invention relates to cervical appliances forimmobilizing the cervical spine.

The conventional cervical appliances are constructed of metal with theweight-bearing surfaces, including the chin cup, occipital support, andthe posterior and anterior sections, being padded with felt and coveredwith soft leather. These known appliances are unsanitary in use, sincethey cannot be washed, do not permit full posterior and anteriortraction and, being of metal construction, do not permit X-rayobservation with the appliance in use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cervicalappliance, which is of relatively light weight construction, iswashable, permits X-ray observation while in use on a patient, and whichprovides for the obtaining of full posterior and anterior tractionadjustment.

Further objects and advantages of the invention, residing in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts, will appear clearfrom consideration of the following description with reference to theaccompanying drawings and from the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of a cervical appliance in accordancewith this invention, as worn upon a patient,

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the appliance as seen in Fig. 1,and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line III-III of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the improved cervical appliance comprises achin support cup, indicated generally at 10, a neck (occipital) supportpart, indicated generally at 12, chest and back support parts, indicatedgenerally at 14 and 16, and commonly referred to as the posterior andanterior sections, respectively, side neck adjustment straps 18,shoulder and underarm straps 20 and adjustable tension rod assembles,indicated generally at 22.

The chin cup, occipital, posterior and anterior parts of this improvedappliance each have the same general construction illustrated in Fig. 3,in that each said part is formed by an outside sheet 24 ofthermosplastic material to which there is secured a backing pad 26having peripheral edge portions 28 which extend beyond the peripheraledges of their corresponding thermoplastic sheets and follow the contourof these sheets.

Very satisfactory results have been obtained with the use ofthermoplastic material sold under the registered trade mark Plexiglasand with the use of backing pads of foam rubber. Plexiglas is lighttransmitting, washable, of relatively light weight, and is responsive toheat, applied for example by a heat lamp, including an infrared lamp, toenable the sheets to be accurately and closely formed to shape. The sidestraps 18, and the shoulder and underarm straps 20, are all separatelyformed from washable material and are completely detachable from theirrespective body support parts 10, 12, 14 and 16.

For attaching the straps to their respective parts I employ press studfasteners, indicated generally at 30, and each composed of a female part32 and amale part 34. Where the straps are provided with adjustmentbuckles p CC 36, each buckle incorporates at the rear, one part of sucha press stud fastener.

One part of each fastener, being the male part as shown in the drawings,is secured in a hole 38 formed in the thermoplastic sheet 24 and has itsrear end covered by the backing pad 26. The other part, being the femalepart 32 in this instance, is secured upon the end portions of theseparate straps.

The shoulder and underarm straps 20 may be made from webbing materialand fitted with a flat tubular section 20 of rubber, or rubber-likematerial, for engaging under the patients arm.

Both the anterior and posterior parts 14 and 16 are of similar size andconfiguration and each has four corner ear portions where the fastenermeans are applied for the attachment of the straps, with the tractionbeing readily adjustable by actuation of the buckles 36 at the fourcorners of the anterior part 14.

The side. straps 18 connecting the chin cup 10 and the occipital support12 have adjustment buckles 36 accessible at the chin cup, whereby allstrap adjustments are capable of being effected in front of the patient.

Referring to the tension rod assemblies 22, a pair of such assembliesare provided at the back and at the front, with the assemblies of eachpair being laterally spaced. The front pair is connected between thechin cup 10 and the anterior part 14 while the rear pair is connectedbetween the occipital part 12 and the posterior part 16. Each suchassembly comprises a metal rod40 secured at one end, as by rivets, tothe thermoplastic part of the chin cup or occipital part and having ascrew threaded end portion 42 on which an adjustment nut 44 is mounted.Each screw threaded rod end portion 42 fits slidably into the upper endof a tube 46, secured at its outer end, as by rivets, to thethermoplastic part of the anterior or posterior part. The effectivelength of the tension rods constituted by these rods and tubes isreadily adjustable by manipulation of the nuts 44.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as novel and wish tosecure by Letters Patent is as follows:

A cervical appliance comprising a chin cup, an occipital part andanterior and posterior sections, all of light transmitting thermoplasticmaterial, presenting a front sheet to their respective parts andincluding a backing pad, said pads having free edge portions protrudingbeyond the edges of the thermoplastic sheets, separate adjustable strapsfor connection between said chin cup and the occipital part on each sideof a patients neck, means detachably connecting said straps with saidchin cup and occipital part, separate adjustable shoulder and underarmstraps for connection with said anterior and posterior parts, meansdetachably connecting said straps with said anterior and posteriorparts, tension rods connected between the chin cup and the anteriorsection and between the occipital part and the posterior section, andmeans securing said rods upon the thermoplastic material of said parts,said tension rods including means for adjusting the effective length ofthe rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS WardNov. 26, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES

